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I hate to say it, but I have a real bone to pick with English markets: I can almost never find certain kinds of seafood. Giant shrimp like we have in the States. Scallops. Calamari. Just can't find them. So when the kind of downtrodden mini supermarket by my office in London started stocking "large sea scallops," I went a little crazy. (You can expect to see a few more scallop recipes from me soon.)

For this recipe, I was inspired by the seafood dish I usually order when I'm in Provence: moules à la Provençale, mussels steamed with tomatoes, garlic, and sometimes basil. To use the same flavors with scallops, I crammed the scallops in a little gratin dish along with whole grape tomatoes, and I made a topping of fresh breadcrumbs (I keep a stash in my freezer for times like these) whizzed with a clove of garlic, fresh basil, and butter. Boom. Gratin-ed together, the top becomes this kind of pistou-ed crumble, and the scallops and tomatoes underneath collapse and release all their sweet juices.

This is one of those recipes that I hope is something of a French in a Flash signature: super easy, done in minutes, but with enough chic to warrant some company.